'Feest!' (Dutch for 'Party!') is the last student film of director
Paul Verhoeven. You can clearly see the progress of his craftsmanship. The techniques he had previously experimented with come together in this short film. We are also presented with a charming story about enamored students, filmed at the directors old secondary school in The Hague, the Haganum.
We see the loose, inspired by Nouvelle Vague style of
Niets bijzonders (1961) combined with the long shots of
De lifters (1962), but better balanced and more extensive. We are now treated to beautiful overview shots of the schoolyard and the school and its premises itself, filmed, as it seems, from the roof of one of the buildings. Then follows a point-of-view shot of Peter, who looks down from the window from a classroom high in the school building, down on the long-walking students. He has instructed his friend to ask the girl he has an eye on, Anja, what she thinks of him, and gesticulate from the window where he should go.
"Party!" is a very recognizable, and cute, film about the difficulties that shy Peter endures to court Anja. The uncomfortable silences , the furtive looks that are exchanged, friends and girlfriends who try to "help" them, it is familiar territory for anyone who has ever been shy and in love. There is not a lot of spectacal in the film, and there is not really a (satisfying) climax, but the film contains nice observations. Moreover, the form has succeeded well. Eye-catching is the way in which the long walk of Anja and Peter is filmed, with a camera that revolves around the two, and later on they keep a close eye on the two of them while they walk to the house of Anja.
Also nice are the two short, fast turns when Peter just heard from Anja that she wants to go with him to the ball, and with a smile on his face on his bike runs away. It is reminiscent of the moment in
Du sollst mein Glücksstern sein (1952) where
Gene Kelly kissed the woman he fell in love with. He feels like he can handle the whole world, and even rain clouds can not hurt or irritate him. The moment Peter gets on his bike has the same kind of effect. With wings of an eagle he seems to be flying through the air rather than cycling over the street.
Acting and dialogue are not perfect, but certainly a lot better than in
De lifters (1962), and the two main characters are well cast, with a fine Peter, who is charming, but does not know how to handle girls (much like
Paul Verhoeven at the time); and the handsome Anja manages to find a nice balance between being in love and (feigned) indifference.
'Party!' shows a satisfying harmony between content and form. Not that static and rather matt camera work from
De lifters (1962) but also not an overly artistic stylization that mainly draws attention to itself. Not every moment in the film, with regard to the ins and outs of the school, is equally interesting, but it has certainly become an above-average production. This film would later be the occasion for (the financing of)
Paul Verhoevens first real action or spectacle film, called
Het korps Mariniers (1965).
